Enjoying the journey to becoming debt free - paying back the credit cards

fedupandskint

I'm back home!

We decided to come back yesterday as the weather had been so rubbish and I felt pretty rubbish too. Did have a lovely week away though with mum and feel nice and relaxed. It inspired me to start reading for pleasure once again like I always used to. Last night picked up a book I've had for 4yrs and never finished past the first few chapters as I lost interest in almost everything at that phase in my life. Read 2 chapters and then went to sleep, will read another couple this evening and carry on like that to do something other than sit on the laptop all night.

What else is there to report? I set myself a strict budget for October's grocery challenge of £100. I've been on the month's big shop this morning and have done some of the monthly stock up. I stuck more or less to my list and went off list only for one large bar of chocolate for a treat £3.59 and a pack of scotch pancakes for 20p as I was very hungry!

Total for the shop came to £34.66 for this week meaning I have gone over the weekly £25 budget. Let's see how I get on with the rest of the month as I aim to use up what I have in.

Have a loaf onto bake ready to have a slice or 2 with the soup I'm making this morning - chunky minestrone! Then its onto some more soup making this weekend to make sure I have plenty in for work lunches - spicy red lentil and potato and cabbage and bacon.

Decided to use up a bacon joint from the freezer that I bought reduced which I'll have for tea with lots of veg - yummy! Then use up the rest in soups and for teas over the wekend and some of next week - let me see how far I can stretch £2.69!

Meter readings submitted for last week and will submit this week's tomorrow and stick to my resolution to pay some of the winter bill off at payday.

Also finally, last week's holiday spends came to just under £30 thanks to my very kind mum who also thought she had a very cheap holiday too despite her paying for much more than I did.

I'll pop back later with a little update for what is planned for the week ahead and how I can reign in the spends again this month - need to stay very strong and not cave in to treating myself for my birthday next week. Reminder to self - you have everything you need already and I'll get a couple of presents too

fedupandskint

Have made 10 portions of minestrone soup and tomorrow will be making spicy red lentil soup to use up the thai curry paste in the freezer.

Bit of meal planning done also for next week and also found some pudding recipes to try out. After being away and eating a few ready meals and puds it brought it home to me how much fat and kcals are in pre made meals. I've stayed away from ready meals a lot over the last year too with the diet plan. Now I'm maintaining I can fit in some puds instead of snacking on biscuits and chocolate so much.

Just deciding whether to have butterscotch pud or apple pud or maple and walnut pud tomorrow. I have one pud in the fridge leftover which comes in at almost 400kcals and hardly tastes of anything - in fact why bother eating this and will never repurchase again - it was for the holiday last week - when I can make something much nicer, tastier and less kcals and fat? I will make one for tonight and finish off tomorrow!

fedupandskint

Hmm, spent a while trying on outfits for next Sat night out - trying to find a killer sexy look that isn't too mutton dressed as lamb!

Haven't decided yet - either a black thin knit jumper with patterned pencil skirt, tights and shoe boots; black mini skirt and blouson top in teal with a thin black belt, tights and shoe boots; red/orange shutter pleat dress, black tights and shoe boots.

Determined not to buy anything new apart from possibly a new pair of tights and or a blouse or top if I see on that is just the thing and if not I'll make do with what I have already

fedupandskint

Nice walk up into town and back and collected some pretty good 10p bargains left over

5xpairs natural tights 10p
Men's facial wash x 2 x 10p
250ml Simple baby lotion 10p
Men's shaving cream 10p
Travel size shampoo x 2 x 10p
Kids SPF 25 suntan lotion x 2 x 10p
SPF 20 face suncream 10p
Aftersun lotion 10p

Total £1.10
Breakdown - 20p for a friend; 20p for me, 70p for Christmas hamper presents.

Very pleased with the pack of tights as I was planning on buying a pair for £5 - even if they only last one night that's ok as it was a super bargain on 5 pairs for 10p! They might be a little on the large size though - will see how they fit and if they will be ok for a killer outfit!
Also made some nice and spicy lentil soup for lunch and for work lunches. Next is a dog washing session to clean him up after the holiday!

fedupandskint

Productive afternoon today and a nice chilled out weekend too

Dog bathed and dried
Dog walked
Ripped in 30 Level 4 completed day 3
Tea prepped and washed up
House hoovered
Bins emptied
Another outfit trying on session - still not decided
Work bag stuff ready to go for the morning
Duvet cover washed and ready to hang out in the morning

Just me to fab up once X Factor finishes with all the tears then its off to read my book for a while

fedupandskint

Well, I'm back at work and boy do I want another job. This week is not a good week at work at all. Only 2 more days to go and its a long weekend for me thankfully starting with a haircut on Thursday evening and then off to spend the day with mum.

So what else for this week - 3 days of Ripped in 30 completed now leaving 2 more to go before its finished off completely - aiming for Friday to complete it with Thursday off.

Oh yes, its my birthday tomorrow - a quiet day planned after work with the usual dog walk and exercise then a day out with mum on Friday while we look for a present for me. Treated myself to a new nail varnish for the meal out on saturday and discovered I could have a free lipgloss - quite good then for £1 or 50p each!

fedupandskint

Yipee, its the weekend!

Had a nice chilled out birthday, cheered up with lovely bunch of flowers from 2 friends at work and a funny card. Took the dog on nice long walk after work to take advantage of the bright autumnal sun and then decided to forgo the exercise to have an early tea instead and a general chill out finishing off the last of the choccie.

Did cave in to a birthday treat of another nail varnish for £1 and free lipgloss - both very nice and will be worn for birthday night out of course

What else, today I had my hair cut at a different hairdressers for the first time in about 5yrs. I nearly backed out and went back to the old one, only the thought of paying less for a higher stylist stopped me now my regular hair dresser is on maternity. So I stuck to the appt and after feeling very apprehensive throughout the appt I'm glad I did, as although I wasn't too impressed in the shop, I discovered, when I returned home, that I really like it! Also cost at least £5 less than usual and probably more as don't have to use as much petrol to get there or pay for parking.

Tomorrow is hair dye day to cover up my many silver grey roots underneath and then off out with mum for the day to buy my birthday present and a treat for me if I see any. We will have coffee and lunch out to I expect!

Then its a walk up to collect some sale shoes and see if they fit firstly and if I like them secondly.

Saturday is some town errands then a long dog walk, housework and then get ready for my night out

Also very pleased to have fitted in Ripped in 30 today meaning I only have 1 more day to do tomorrow and its finished!

fedupandskint

Day off today! and a rather fab day as I dressed up to go shopping in my bargain rusty red long skirt, grey ankle boots, cream top and rusty red, cream and black cardie jacket. Popped some eyeliner on for a change too to celebrate a nice day out with mum.

Mum was very generous today with my birthday present and bought me plenty including some rather fab boots which I wanted. I collected the sale shoes and deffo one pair are no good as are very uncomfy indeed so they're going back tomorrow and I think the other pair my be going back too - will see how they look first before I decide. I bought myself a new mac in the sale which is washable and water resistant in a mid blue. Just the thing I wanted too for spring and autumn - had a tenner off in the sale and used some birthday money which made it a rather bargain price of £29 too . We walked round the expensive dept stores laughing at the prices things cost in there and how you don't need to spend that much to look good - just for the labels hey to drag you into the dream that they will make you look divine - not needed at all in any respect. I'm so used to sale shopping from this year it was hard to look at things full price without thinking 'not worth it' and 'as if!'. Anyway also got 2 sale tops which will look great with jeans, my lovely skirt and also summer trousers. Both are a kind of kingfisher blue colour and were good prices at £11 and £17. Thought I'd better treat mum to coffee and lunch after the holiday and today!

Haven't really been round a big shopping centre for quite a while after made a decision to stay out of them and I didn't want to spend my leisure time in there anymore - forgot how tiring it is walking around an airless atmosphere for a few hours. Well that itch has been scratched and no need to spend that long in there again any time soon!

Feeling pretty tired now after all that walking so, its time to decide on tea and then have a think about what chores need doing tonight

fedupandskint

Both pairs of shoes bought in the sale gping back as one pair is too sm and one pair too large bizarrely in the same size.

After an expensive week quite good to return them with petrol fill up, haircut, lunch out, night out etc. Next week will be frugal for certain as I don't need much at all apart from no doubt a petrol top up. All I need from the shop this weekend is some yoghurts, dog biscuits and a bit of fruit. Must try hard to stick to the list and get some NSDs in next week and stay out of the shops. Mind you, this will be easier now the 10p sale is over!

All I need to do is keep looking at my list of what I DON'T need to buy to help me stay on track and then aim to even out the high spends this week with a low spend next week and week after that

fedupandskint

Shoes have gone back and refunded - right decision there.

Nice comment about how nice my new coat looked as I decided to wear it today along with my new boots too. Got nicely fabbed up this morning - what's the point of having clothes and never wearing them eh? Also wore my new bargain necklace - £3 reduced from £12 which I got yesterday

Did well and stuck to the shopping list like glue - yoghurts and fruit only coming to £5.32 today making it £20 this week on food. Not as bad as I thought originally - stands at about £60 for the month I think. Have plenty in and next week concentrating on using up what I already have in again - have meal planned for next week too.

Did cave in to another set of shampoo and conditioner on offer at £1.49 for the 2 as I'm about to finish off one shortly and a new handcream ready for when the other one is finished shortly as that is also on offer.

Overall pleased with the spends today - not too bad at all

Next is onto some housework and then exercise before getting ready to go out!